Prof. dr. Corine de RuiterProf. dr. Corine de Ruiter is a licensed clinical psychologist (BIG) in The Netherlands. She serves as professor of Forensic Psychology at Maastricht University. She also has a private practice. Her research focuses on the interface between psychopathology and crime. She has a special interest in the prevention of child abuse and intimate partner violence because they are both very common and often overlooked in practice.

Brigitte van Pol MscBrigitte van Pol studied Psychology and Law at Maastricht University. Her involvement in this research dates from her Master’s thesis on the role of mediation in high conflict divorce. The authors would like to thank the participants for their time and effort in completing our websurvey.

De studie beoogt aan de hand van 87 dossiers van gezag- en omgangsonderzoeken door de Raad voor de Kinderbescherming (RvdK) meer inzicht te krijgen in situaties waarin de ene ouder de andere ouder in het kader van een (echt)scheiding beschuldigt van seksueel misbruik van kinderen. De dossiers zijn gekoppeld aan bijbehorende civielrechtelijke beschikkingen en het Justitiële Documentatiesysteem. Hierdoor is de problematiek van verschillende kanten belicht. Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat het over het algemeen complexe zaken zijn, waarin naast de BSKM nog meer problemen zijn binnen de gezinnen. De aard van het vermeende seksueel misbruik is ernstig, en de kinderen gemiddeld jong. Regelmatig is de beschuldiging geuit bij politie en hulpverlening vóór de rechtszaak en het raadsonderzoek. De rechtszaken betreffen over het algemeen procedures omtrent gezag, verdeling van zorg- en opvoedingstaken en omgang. Vrijwel nooit is vast te stellen of het seksueel kindermisbruik heeft plaatsgevonden. Slechts drie ouders zijn veroordeeld voor het misbruik. Eén vader is vrijgesproken, twee vaders zijn niet nader vervolgd omdat zij ten onrechte als verdachte waren aangemerkt. Civiele rechters die beslissingen moeten nemen over de kinderen staan voor een dubbel dilemma: het al dan niet serieus nemen van de beschuldiging kan schadelijke gevolgen hebben voor kinderen, en daarnaast kan, vanwege de onzekerheid over de gegrondheid, een beslissing tot nader onderzoek ook schadelijk zijn omdat dit het proces verlengt. De RvdK adviseert de rechtbank regelmatig om definitieve beslissingen omtrent de kinderen aan te houden, in afwachting van bijvoorbeeld hulpverlening of een ondertoezichtstelling. Het is echter doorgaans niet de waarschijnlijkheid van het SKM, maar de gevolgen van de beschuldiging zelf waar de RvdK zijn zorgen regelmatig over uit. Hierdoor lijkt het dat de beschuldiging, en niet het potentiële misbruik, een katalysator is voor onwenselijke gevolgen voor de kinderen. --- This study aims to provide insight into allegations of child sexual abuse in the context of divorce and related proceedings by reviewing 87 files concerning investigations by the Dutch child protective service (CPS). These files are linked to the court rulings about the families in question, as well as the criminal record database. This makes it possible to look at this problem from various angles. The study shows that the cases are generally complex, in which aside from the allegations of sexual abuse, other issues existed within the families. The nature of the alleged abuses were serious, and the children were relatively young. Often an allegation was made to the police and social work organizations before the civil proceeding and investigation by the CPS. The proceedings generally concerned matters relating to the custody of and access to the children. It was very rarely possible to determine whether the child sexual abuse had actually taken place. Only three fathers were convicted of the abuses concerned. One father was acquitted and two fathers were wrongfully identified as suspects. Civil judges who have to make decisions about the children are faced with a double dilemma: firstly, the decision of whether or not to take the allegation seriously can have damaging consequences for the children involved. Secondly, the choice to proceed with further investigation and aid within the family, due to uncertainty as to the veracity of the allegation(s) in question, can lead to a prolonged process that damages the child. The study shows that the CPS often advises the court to postpone definitive decisions about the children so that social work organizations can provide more information on the matter at hand. However, the study also shows that it is generally not the potential abuse, but the allegation itself that the CPS expresses concern about.

Anne Smit MSc.Anne Smit is a PhD Candidate at the VU University Amsterdam. She is currently writing her PhD dissertation on the topic: ‘Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Children in Divorce Procedures: Towards Evidence-Based Guidelines’.

Masha AntokolskaiaMasha Antokolskaia is a professor of family law at the VU University Amsterdam. She is head of the Amsterdam Centre of Family Law (ACFL), as well as a member of the Commission on European Family Law (CEFL) and of the Executive Council of the International Society of Family Law. Her main fields of interest are comparative family law, European family law, empirical family law studies and history of family law.

Catrien BijleveldCatrien Bijleveld is the director of the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR). Prior to this she worked as a senior researcher at NSCR. Her research activities focus on research into criminal careers and (experimental) research into the effectiveness of interventions, juvenile sex offenders, historical trends and the intergenerational transmission of delinquent behaviour. Catrien Bijleveld is also a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences (KNAW).

Carrie van der Kroon LL.M.Carrie van der Kroon works as a programme officer on girls’ rights in the Global South at Defence for Children International – ECPAT the Netherlands. She obtained her masters in Legal Research (Cum Laude) at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, specialising in international children’s rights from a socio-legal perspective.